The Old Guard

Starring: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwen Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harry Melling, Veronica Ngo
Directed by: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: A group of immortal mercenaries must fight for their own survival when the secret of their existence is exposed.

Review:

Tim: I've read that Netflix really wants their own blockbuster franchise and hoped that The Old Guard would be their ticket. Unfortunately, they've also produced a slew of forgettable action movies. This one might get turned into a franchise, but it's hard to feel very enthusiastic about it. It's not that it's a bad movie, but it's forgettable. The film ever rises above being decent.

One of the problems here is that the movie offers absolutely nothing we haven't seen dozens and dozens of times before. A group of elite mercenaries must band together when their team is threatened? Check. A story about immortal warriors and their place in modern society? Been done. The movie doesn't offer incredible characters, the action scenes are average. There's truly nothing here that hasn't already been done, and been done significantly better. Sure, this is a harmless movie. You might not be mad you invested 2 hours and 5 minutes, but the payoff isn't where it should have been.

The writing was fairly weak. Charlize Theron has proven she's a formidable talent and has excelled in action movies. Her Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action movie heroines of the past decade. How would you describe her here? She's immortal and kinda tired? A bit grumpy? Her character of Andy doesn't have the depth required, she isn't interesting enough for us to want to go on a multi-movie journey with her. She's fine, but forgettable. That's a shame, because Theron is such a talented actress. Her talents aren't utilized here.

The bulk of the cast is likewise forgettable. KiKi Layne was fine, but it felt like the role was too big for her. This is only her fourth movie and it shows. This needed to be a star-making performance. You needed to see her and feel like she was close to Theron, that you needed to see their continued adventures. Layne isn't bad, but she does nothing remarkable in the entire film. It's a blah performance. Matthias Schoenearts was decent, really the rest of the supporting cast is okay. I didn't love their performances, but they got the jobs done. I was intrigued by Chiwetel Ejiofor. This really seemed like a role that was beneath him. His presence was welcome and the movie benefited, but he wasn't given enough to do. It was odd to see him relegated to the sidelines. I suspect if future movies are greenlit, he would be given a bigger role. I was glad to see him here, but I wish he had more to do.

The movie as a whole really is decent. It delivers a story we've seen before, but it's always at least mildly entertaining. You get to know these characters and the world they inhabit. Some of the "immortal training" scenes are kind of fun. It's always interesting to see a character who serves as an audience proxy learn about a fantastic world along with us. That technique works. The action scenes are okay- it's always fun to see Theron in this mode. The action sequences don't have any special quality to them. They're interchangeable with dozens of other movies.

I certainly hope Netflix finds their big fantasy franchise. It would be great fun to watch it. Unfortunately, The Old Guard isn't it. Oh, it may get a sequel or two, Netflix has money to burn. However, it's surprising how little of a splash this movie made. If they do a sequel, I'd watch it, but my expectations would be quite lowered. This might be a decent film, but it's not what anyone wanted.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Mad Max: Fury Road, Aeon Flux